The mini UK island with pristine empty beaches, whales swimming offshore ‘almost daily’ and real dinosaur footprints
THE UK has plenty of attractions where it can feel like you're stepping back in time.
However, there's one place where holidaymakers can literally retrace footsteps believed to have been left around 170 million years ago.
The Isle of Skye is connected to Scotland's northwest coast by a bridge, but it can feel like it's thousands of miles away from the UK.
Its stunning beaches have been likened to shorelines of the Caribbean, while dolphins and whales can be spotted swimming in its surrounding waters.
However, extinct animals are just as much of a draw to the island, with people often turning up to see footprints left by dinosaurs long long ago.
It is believed to be Scotland's biggest dinosaur trackway, with some of the footprints huge in size.
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Atlas Obscura said of the prints: "Before the dinosaurs died out, they roamed this breathtaking stretch of land. Fortunately, you can still find marks of their presence in a few places on the island.
"Sometimes the footprints are hard to find because the tide covers them with seaweed or sand, so you may have to scour about a little.
"Once you find one, you will soon see the others and be able to connect with these amazing, lost creatures."
The easiest place to spot the footprints is said to be at An Corran Beach, close to the village of Staffin.
The Tartan Road explained that the best examples can be found just a short walk down the slipway at the beach.
The prints at An Corran are thought to have been left by a family of ornithopods, a kind of two-legged herbivore, and are notable for having three toes.
Elsewhere, Score Bay is another popular spot, with several prints from sauropods, a relative of both the brontosaurus and diplodocus, earning the spot the nickname the "dinosaur disco".
Blog Stomping Feat wrote: "170 million years ago MANY different species of sauropods were wading here through a shallow swamp, and by the shear luck that exists to create any fossil, these footprints were cemented in time.
"The literal toeprints in some of the cast prints help to confirm our find, and in that moment we are both David and Richard Attenborough, discovering and dramatising Jurassic Skye."
For those who aren't interested in looking at dinosaur footprints, the beaches of Skye offer plenty of other sights to look at.
Indeed, the beaches themselves look as if they're from tropical holiday destinations much further away than Scotland.
Sykes Cottages singled out Camas Daraich beach and said: It’s not hard to believe you’re in a far-flung destination when you visit this beach on Skye.
"This is thanks to its Caribbean-esque waters that meet the gorgeous sands. Despite this, Camas Daraich Beach is relatively quiet, making it a great spot to relax and enjoy the scenery.
Elsewhere Islandeering sung the praises of Claigan Coral Beach, which they claim could be found completely empty, despite it being one of the most popular beaches on Skye.
They said: "This beach is made up of tiny fragments of sun-bleached coral-like seaweed, which makes the water look tropical in the sunshine.
"The beach is great for a swim or beach-combing for the huge variety of pretty shells."
Further out from the beaches, dolphins and whales are frequent visitors, with Glendale Skye claiming that minke whale sightings are "almost daily events" during June and July.
A night for two in a hotel on the Isle of Skye can be booked from around £65.
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Meanwhile, this tiny island is known as the UK's best kept secret.
And people travel by horse-drawn carriage on this unspoilt island.